New story writing competition for Basingstoke's 7-15 year-olds launched this week (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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New story writing competition for Basingstoke's 7-15 year-olds launched this week
2:32pm Thursday 9th August 2012 in General
Steven Hunt from BDC, Joanne Mace from The Gazette, Claire Capel from Milestones and author Ali Sparkes launch the competition in Milestones Museum
BEST-SELLING Hampshire author Ali Sparkes has teamed up with Milestones Museum, Basingstoke Discovery Centre (BDC) and The Gazette this week to launch an exciting new children’s storywriting competition.
Budding local scribes aged between seven and 15 years are invited to write a story of 500 words based on any one of the three following titles: ‘I found a secret room in the museum…’, ‘My best
friend told me there’s a magical book in the Discovery Centre…’ or ‘As I woke up, I noticed a flying car zoom by the |window…’
The winners will be chosen from two categories – seven to 11 years and 12 to 15 years – and will be announced in BDC on Sunday, October 14. Each winner will receive books and a goodie-bag and all
runners-up will be invited to an exclusive show with Ali at BDC on that date.
Award-winning Ali, who worked as a journalist at The Southern Daily Echo in Southampton, is the author of the Shapeshifter and Switch series’.
A mother of two teenage sons, she won two Blue Peter awards – and received the famous badge – for her novel Frozen in Time.
Speaking at Milestones, Ali said: “I dreamed of being an actress and performer, but in my teens and early 20s. I was always writing. I finally realised it was my main thing, and gave it a proper go
in my early 30s.
“I love to get kids excited about writing. I worry that they find it a chore when actually it can be such a joy, and competitions like this are a great way to find young writers and encourage the
next generation.”
The closing date is September 17. Entries can be left at Milestones, BDC and at The Gazette. Alternatively, email your entry, plus your name, age, address and contact telephone number, to joanne.mace@ basingstokegazette.co.uk or post it with the same details to Short Story competition, Joanne Mace, Gazette House, Pelton Road, Basingstoke, RG21 6XD.
Normal Newsquest and BDC rules apply for this competition and winners will have to appear in post-competition publicity. To find out more, log on to dailyecho.co.uk/leisure. Good luck!
